Nikon Z7 Review

Nikon Z7 Review

The Nikon Z7 is the company's most well-rounded camera to date: it's as well spec'd and suited for video capture as it is for stills, and the quality of both is impressive. The Z7's design offers an experience that will be familiar to existing Nikon DSLR shooters, but in a smaller, lighter body, built around the all-new Nikon Z-mount.

This is Nikon's first full-frame mirrorless camera: a 4K-capable machine which features a variant of the D850's 46MP BSI CMOS sensor, but with the addition of on-sensor phase detection AF pixels and mechanical stabilization. From our testing the only area where the Z7 comes up a little short is autofocus reliability and usability - something at which Nikon's DSLRs have long excelled.

Key features:

45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS sensor with on-sensor phase detection

In-body 5-axis image stabilization (rated to 5EV)

493 PDAF points with 90% horizontal and vertical coverage of the frame

The Nikon Z7 is available now for a body-only price of $3400. It is also available kitted with the 24-70mm F4 S lens for $4000 (many retailers are offering additional kits with the 'F to Z adapter' for about $150 more).

What's new and how it compares

The Z7 isn't just a D850 without a mirror: we look at the key additions and what the Z7 offers.

I fully agree with this. The Z7 may be overpriced by about $1000 (Sony is on sale right now), but it is still the better camera all things considered.

There are just so many Sony fanboys here who amplify the Z7's shortcomings because that is one of the few area they can latch on. If they think they can convince people to move to the Sony system, they are wrong. Well, it's a Sony! LOL.

Bob, so accurate, consistent focus is not important to you? Given the A7riii and D850 received identical scores, do you also believe that the Z7 is better than the D850? There's probably more than a handful of Nikon DSLRs that now appear to focus more accurately and consistently than the Z7. For someone considering getting into Nikon, I wouldn't recommend the Z7 over the D850, D5, D500, etc. at this point.

That's the problem. Sony fanboys talk about "not focusing correctly" but that is only on AF-C with tracking! How many photos do you take with AF-C with tracking? AF-S, standard AF-C works great. It's not like people will shoot someone driving down Lombard Street all the time!

@Bob Jameson.. just accept that the Sony mirrorless system is better even if you prefer Nikon. First, AF is very important & should be weighed heavily in any evaluation of a mirrorless system. If you don't think so then dig up all of the Nikon users posts about Nikon DSLRs vs Sony mirrorless from the last 5 years to confirm. Second, you're right that AF isn't the only thing that's important... Battery life is another. If you don't think so then dig up all of the Nikon users posts about Sony battery life. Third, dual slots are important. If you don't think so then dig up all of the Nikon users posts about Sony's single card slot. Fourth, native lens quality & selection is important. If you don't think so dig up all of the Nikon users posts about this. Sony is better in all of these areas and in most they're significantly better. You can try to make everyone believe these are less important now but the only thing that has changed is which side of the tracks you are on.

Eye-AF in AF-C on my A7III is fantastic. I'm not going to suggest that the Z series are bad cameras because they're not. I just think a lot of people don't appreciate how useful eye-AF with AF-C is. I use it when I shoot portraits and I find it extremely useful.

@Bob Jameson - "The Z7 may be overpriced by about $1000 (Sony is on sale right now), but it is still the better camera all things considered."

Sure, if you don't consider things like autofocus performance, eye AF, dual card slots, battery life, shooting speed with auto exposure, price, battery grip availability, etc. Your comment reminds me of what I used to hear from Nikonians back in the 1990s in response to Canon EOS: "the Nikon is a better camera because it's a Nikon and not a Canon!" Well, Canon proceeded to overtake Nikon in the market place because they offered better features, better performance, better value.

Sony cameras has so many anomalies so it's hard to count them allFor every function there seems to be a bug and a long list of factors that has to be fulfilled to achieve the function Check the exceptionsThe Playstation DNA is strong

For drev posters its all black and white. Both sony a7mk3 and nikon z will find ut buyers. For some like weddingphotogs dual card is a must and for others not, same with relaible following af, battery life etc. Not many will buy a nikon z7 for weddingwork or Sports but it will find it buyers just like Sonys cameras.

It's just that they are new to the game (late to the party as Sony fans put it). And when they have AF & banding problems, light as they may be, they are still things that Nikon needs to address.

On sensor PDAF is more than they thought it was. With the Z8 & Z9 cameras, they'll need to stagger the PDAF array so it isn't in straight lines. The AF problem is probably in need of faster circuitry and something lagging behind, and it could be that they just need more R&D time to deal with the massive viewfinder bandwidth requirements that are eating up all the timing cycles for the processor.

I'm sure that they will figure this out, and maybe even do some firmware band-aiding to help mitigate the issue from a common visible issue to a not so prevalent pixel-peeping problem.

At any rate, I'm happy that I didn't jump on board just because they said it was the new revolution. Revolutions take time.

@Nomoreheroes - "Sony cameras has so many anomalies so it's hard to count them all"

You mean like what Canon and Nikon are experiencing now? Sony has been working on FF mirrorless for a long time. They've been able to identify issues, address them, and improve them. It's called iteration. That's how you continually improve products. You also have to keep in mind that Sony has done a lot of iteration. The first attempt is typically never the best attempt when it comes to products. Look how many models Sony have produced in FF mirrorless: A7, A7II, A7III, A7R, A7RII, A7RIII, A7S, A7SII, A9. Canon and Nikon are going to have to go through their own lengthy iterative process. The problem for them is that Sony has a huge head start over them.

@Bob Jameson - Typical Nikon blathering nonsense. I still remember Nikonians saying the same blathering nonsense about Canon. They would say things like: "Canon has things like Image Stabilization because their users don't know how to hold their cameras! LOL! It's a Canon!" Then Canon proceeded to overtake Nikon in the market place.

Well ain't that focusing issue a kick to the nether regions. The first question I would send to Nikon is: Did you test this before releasing, or did you just rush to market? Question 2: Is this a Quality Control issue? (I personally don't think that is the issue, but to be fair must ask). Question 3: Can this issue be fixed with a software update? (Which is perhaps the most important question. If can be fixed, then great; if not, then is an albatross for Nikon). Last question for the moment: Will the Z6 have the same issue? (I expect so). Glad I am staying with my D810.

It now looks like Canon and Nikon's releases were rushed to market. I think the release of the Sony A7 III in February really pushed them to get something out this year, whether they were ready or not. Ironically, now that Canon and Nikon have released the best that they can muster, Sony has said that they can take their time with the Sony A7S III.

I'm not really sure this is an issue of rushing. DPR suspects that the focusing system in the Z7 is an extension of Live View. Nikon doesn't have existing on-sensor AF systems to draw from like Canon does. Just because the Sony sensor they're using inside the body is capable of on-chip detection doesn't mean that they'll use it the same way Sony does.

It may well be that eventually Nikon figures out how to harnesson-chip phase detect, but that doesn't mean that given a longer timeframe on *this* camera, that it might have.

All camera design has to make compromises. If you want to get a first camera to market, and you've got a time frame, you go with what you have. (Canon essentially said this in the interview with their exec recently.)

Photokina was this year, and it would have been disastrous for Nikon and Canon to not have responded to the growing mirrorless market then. If anything rushed the design, it was that finish line, not the a7 III.

Sounds like the AF is not great. I'm glad that Sony users are elated with the news. When the Z was announced, I really didn't think the AF would be comparable to D5 of D850. Since I don't shoot sports, not an issues for me. Still waiting for my Z6 with the excellent 24-70 F4. The adapter will be great to use all my collection of G and AIs lens. The video seems to be quite good. Will likely get the Atomos Ninja V to capitalize on the video outs.

Scientist that I am, I am leery of comparative statements unless the participating subjects are being evaluated under the identical conditions. That said, this is a fairly damning assessment regarding the Z7's auto-focus performance. One wonders if a software change can improve things or is the Z7 simply fatally flawed. I'm surprised at Nikon if the former is true, and appalled if the later turns out to be the case. Right now my Z7 sits unopened in its box from Amazon and I am strongly considering an RMA.

I'd say that you're ok to open the box and use the camera. If it doesn't suit your needs then RMA; but don't do that on the basis of a single review. It just depends on what you need from a camera, the type of work you do and whether this camera will facilitate that work.

As post moder said, give it a try, if you're aiming at travel photography, slow paced portraits and landscape it fits the bill. Otherwise, you might find it unsuitable for your photography. It's a bummer for a 3.5k camera.

Isn't it just that his conclusions are more in line with what you think?

If you are in the market for a high res mirrorless camera and want it to be the Z7 and not the A7rIII, I would say buy the Nikon. Something you want will always make you happier than buying something that is objectively better but is something you don't feel for.

If on the other hand you just want to believe the Nikon is better, I would say don't fool yourself. DPReview is not 100% impartial but they haven't ever presented anything as true that wasn't in my experience.

They have been guilty of omission – where the've praised something without acknowledging an equally good product elsewhere, but if they say the D7's AF is not comparable in many scenarios to Nikon DSLRs or other mirrorless cameras, I think you should probably accept it, unless you can see a flaw in their testing or have relevant data of your own.

Do Sony owners really think the A7RIII is better on the basis of one criterion - bad AF-C with tracking? For sports, pros will shoot with a D5 or D850 anyway.

Yes, the Sony has better AF-C with tracking system than the Z7 but, from my perspective considering all other factors that includes AF-C without tracking and AF-S, the Z7 is still the better overall camera.

Right, but one has to remember that Sony in 2018 has more native lenses, some of which are optically excellent. And it's not like the A9 isn't a serious sports camera from Sony. Of course it costs more money than this Nikon Z7 and it's not as well weather sealed as the D5.

Funny, because more people are using Sony FFs they bought this year than Nikon FFs. XD You see whining in reviews, but if you take the time to learn the camera, almost any camera can be usable based on ergonomics and menus. I even learned Panasonic's, which were like a maze when I first got my GX85. AF, on the other hand, is a make-it-or-break-it deal. If it can't focus as well as a 90s film SLR, it shouldn't cost more than $500.

Not to mention that if you shoot RAW, or actually change the camera's color off the default settings (and twist that knob up top past Auto!) then you can easily achieve better color. But that's too hard for people like you who can't even learn a menu or two. ;)

I bet there'll be Silver award for both. Totally new Canon & Nikon FF cameras simply cannot get away without some award. Also Ken Rockwell has decreed that EOS R is well ahead of both Sony and Nikon, thus there're some chances for Gold award for Canon.

Reality is image quality is good on all of the latest medium to top end DSLR's and Mirrorless cameras, what sets them apart, (and attracts consumers), is their AF capabilities and Nikon seem to have ignored this with the Z7.It doesn't personally bother me as I like many others can get results from my current kit but many do and this could cause some people to look elsewhere.

A number of photogs do just adapt lenses where AF is irrelevant. Everybody is so damn tribal now it's really pathetic. It will be easy for the powers that be to get humanity to kill each other for them in the next planned war as it seems people ready to throw down over a f'ing camera, politics even worse.

Goes to show that it's not that easy for Canikon to just "go and make a mirrorless and blow Sony away" - or even equal Sony. Sony has been progressing aggressively for a number of years now, and many of their capabilities are actually difficult to pull off. The underwhelming nature of the Canikon mirrorless initial offerings show this.

Now I understand Nikon's corporate policy about keeping the 100 years of lens compatibility. Nikon just made a new camera that can truly use the benefits of manual focusing lenses, thus keeping its heritage intact. Manual Focus rules yaaay!

Nikon has priced the Z7 as a premium FF camera. DPReview has pointed out that the Z7 AF is not in the premium FF camera league. That is not a miniscule thing. Back in 1999, Ford recalled a batch of Cobra Mustangs because they got 10% less horsepower than buyers expected. The cars were otherwise excellent and in normal driving that 10% might not even be noticed, but Ford was selling a premium muscle-car. They took the horsepower issue seriously and stepped up to fix it.

I remember how Rishi was dissing A9 's AF as inferior to D850 because in percentage terms A9 missed something like 10% or so frames. I had to point it out to him that with the frame rates A9 is shooting a9 would still produce more usable frames than D850 in same time even if it missed 40% of shots. (20FPS vs 9FPS)

That time AF was so important but now its not. For hypocrites things change like weather.

@CanonSharpShooter - In today's day and age, I think people were rightfully expecting more than a camera that does so poorly in low light that it should be marketed as a low light *manual focus* camera. Can you just imagine Nikon reps saying that? "Oh, no, those ads were really about manual focus in low light!" That would be quite humorous.

Once you understand that term, then you'll apprehend how dumb your comment was.

Next, apparently you think all cameras have always been AF only for decades.

Since you likely don't understand: This Nikon Z7 has very strong single AF, for taking a photo of someone or something not really moving. It's not great for sports, which is where one finds good tracking AF to be important.

Then good AF, even the single type, has really only been available on cameras the public can buy for the last 20 years. And even then a 2008 DSLR wasn't exactly great at tracking AF.

Do read and learn a bit, and use cameras, before posting next time. You'll avoid looking so foolish.

"If you don't need to track, you use AF-S and a tripod, so you don't need ISO 12,800."

Is that a joke?

I see you've never shot in a music club--no not all singers are moving on the stage.

You've proven you know a very limited type of photography.

"The 80s WAS decades ago. Sure, Minolta started it, and eventually everyone else caught up, but they did it quickly enough."

Apparently you've never heard of the Zeiss Otus and Milvus line. The more you post, the clearer it is you have a limited concept of photography in 2018. That "use a tripod" line was laughable.

No, not as ignorant as the post by panther fan. Since tripod shooting is a real if limited thing. One of the things that the capacity to shoot at ISOs like 12,800 has vitiated is a need for tripods in many situations.

"Or kids. Or pets. Or birding. Things that require sports level AF to keep up properly, despite sounding so pedestrian."

Hmm. I understand this is not a sports camera and I'm definitely not a nitpicker when it comes to performance but this looks really poor. In the cyclist test I'd trust something like the D300 to do better.

It's also odd because Nikon pretty much pioneered PDAF with the 1 series (Fuji had it first but just for one compact camera model and didn't do much with it) and nailed it the first time, improving more as the line went on.

I know it's not the same (larger sensor and faster eq. aperture requires more precision and thus computing power, heavier lenses need more time/power to move) but I'd have expected them to use the know-how better.

Obviously the D850 still exists for those who need the AF performance so... One is paying with something for the smaller size. I'm curious about the Z6 because if that one doesn't do better, it's worse.

Exactly. Its effective DOF was huge due to how wide lenses had to be to match standard FOVs. Even then, the AF on N1s wasn't that great. I had a couple of J5s (fool me twice...) and they couldn't keep up even with my friend walking up the stairs indoors, let alone dogs outside in the bright sun. Aggravating. Poor AF is what made me sell the J5. Twice (1st try adapted, 2nd try native).

The reason why the D5, D500 and D850 are highly regarded is their best in class focusing consistency at their respective price points. The Z7 doesn't have that relative to Nikon's other bodies nor the competition.

it is insane and not true, it is more 4k with adapter, a couple of über expensive xqd cards and batteries. the value is so mehh. as a studio camera I'm missing the sexy new glass. on the other side the new fuji x-t3 is gotten cheaper, faster and has better afok it is aps-c .... but at the moment for fashion, shallow bokeh is totally out of fashion ... so it would work really nice

"Don't tell me you didn't factor the 100 other features that the Nikon has that is not in the Sony."

That's like saying that Toyota Yaris has track-ready suspension parts, transmission, tires, seats, roll cage, and interior. Thing is, it's still got a Yaris engine. -___- If it can't keep up with a stock WRX, it better be priced cheaply like a Yaris is.

If you can't get the shot in focus, it doesn't matter if the camera makes pancakes, eggs, and bacon for you in the morning. It's not usable in situations that the vast majority of cameras on the market today are. That's called non-competitive.

"AF-C with tracking is only one piece it can't do best."

And it's one of the most used AF types out there. That's the issue. Saying AF-S is fine doesn't fix the fact that tracking AF-C is pretty much broken. People coming from smartphones may not mind, but there's a good shot there will be a LOT more people coming from DSLRs. And they'll be very disappointed.

" but next year this time we will see another Canon/Nikon body with improvements for half the price."

Dream on. First of all, replacements for the EOS R and Z6/Z7 are probably at least 18 months away, most likely longer. Secondly, they won't be half the price. Not even close. For example, Canon introduced the 6D in 2012 at $2099. They introduced its replacement, the 6D MKII, in 2017 at $1999. A year later and half the price? No.

Is this an attempt from DPR to create the most discussed topic in the site's history or a stress test of Amazon's servers to see whether the flood of people constantly returning for every update will crash the server?

It is insane that Nikon, with all the time it supposedly took to develop this, did not make it the best camera out there. All that, oh it’s just the first one crap, is unforgivable. It’s Nikon, for Heaven’s sake. I’ve loved Nikon for decades, but this? No.

It’s a whole new ball game in the mirrorless world. Everything is done off the sensor and processors. Nikon is not a computer/software/electronic company. They have a lot to overcome if they want it’s past glory again.

I agree with CanonSharpShooter here, this is new tech, new terrain for Nikon. Sony had years and years and years to get the A7III where it is today. It will take a couple years for Nikon and Canon to get to the same place. But theyll get there.

@lacikuss - The problem is that Nikon was using 1" sensor sourced from Aptina up until Aptina got bought out by ON Semiconductor and was pulled out of the photography market by their new owners. And Nikon's final 1-series body, the J5, used 1" sensors sourced from Sony. We really don't know how much of the technology in those sensors was Aptina's or Sony's versus Nikon's. It now appears likely that the technology in those sensors was not Nikon's, so Nikon had to start anew with their Nikon Z sensors. They couldn't just build upon the technology developed for their Nikon 1 sensors because those sensors weren't theirs to begin with. On the other hand, if Aptina had stayed in the photography market, Nikon and Aptina probably could have built on the Nikon 1 technology and applied it to FF mirrorless. As we can all see now, mirrorless cameras are *highly* dependent upon their image sensors because those image sensors are responsible for a lot more than just capturing the image.

T3 May I remind you of the very fine article here in DPR were it clearly states that Nikon designes its own sensors entirely. Based on this article I believe Nikon designed the 1 Series sensor too. Alpina and Sony manufactured the sensors to Nikon specs. When you look at Nikon vs Sony DR there are differences, however the sensor is manufactured in both cases by Sony.The 1 Series had on thing for it, even for fast speed sports shooting: AF! Now, don't tell me that after 5 years! yes, 5 years they couldn't come up with something even better than the 1 series. Sorry, but no. If this camera can't focus reliably then shame on Nikon.

@lacikuss - I think it's more than a coincidence that Nikon killed the DL line *and* switched to Sony's 1" sensor after Aptina pulled out of the photography image sensor market! Both the DL line and the Nikon 1 line depended on 1" sensors that they were getting from Aptina. I'm sure that Nikon shopped around for another provider of 1" sensors, and they were able to source a 1" sensor from Sony for the J5, but it's quite possible that that deal was only temporary. It's also possible that Nikon couldn't come to an agreement with Sony to provide 1" sensors for the DL line (which would have been direct competition for Sony's RX100 line). In the end, both of Nikon's product lines that depended on 1" sensors were cancelled. Sure, maybe Nikon did "design" these sensors. Or maybe not. But in the end they were very dependent on someone else to provide such a key component.

Unfortunately for Nikon, it's closer to the "Have It Your Way" deal at Burger King. You can design your own burger however you want, as long as you're using Burger King's own ingredients.

Sure, Nikon can mix and match Sony's burger ingredients (base sensor, PDAF array), type of cheese (microlenses), even add their own ratio of condiments (CFA), and bun (IBIS). But at the end of the day, it's all tech that's been developed, purchased, or licensed, and solely implemented, by Sony.

Not sure if Nikon's ever made its own sensor from scratch, as they've also used Toshiba (D7100/7200/5200) and Renesas (Dx series) for sensors in the past alongside Sony. Good shot Renesas was used for high speed output sensors before Sony caught up (D5), and Toshiba to try to break away from Sony (until Sony bought Toshiba's factories! XD ).

It's very odd that the deal didn't work out for Nikon. Canon and Panasonic have no issue using them in their compacts (and even a smartphone!). I'm sure one or two other companies have used the same base sensor in their cameras, too. But with the way Nikon's been handling Sony and their sensors recently (altering MP counts on pre-existing sensors and calling them 100% Nikon developed), it doesn't surprise me. Sony probably didn't want to waste time making a 21MP RX100 sensor for the DL line.

@jkokich @Evildog Disagree. Progress/improvements do not scale linearly. It isn't "So and so took X years to get to this point, so this other company will require just as many years to get to the present point".

I see this as much more important as some 5% difference in dynamic range some people fret about. This kind of behaviour makes you miss shots entirely. One does expect the camera with this price to be more universally reliable.

This is Nikon's first FF mirrorless camera, but you can be sure that Nikon has been testing mirrorless camera prototypes since Sony released the first A7 five years ago. So this story that "well, the focus performance of the Z7 is not very good, but please understand this is our first FF mirrorless camera ..." is just an excuse.

Nikon is already suffering, and will suffer even more to keep pace with Sony. The reason is that Sony is an electronics company with decades of experience, while Nikon is a traditional optical company. And what's left of optics in a mirrorless camera? Practically nothing! A mirrorless camera is basically a powerful dedicated computer with a digital sensor and a shutter. In fact, even the mechanical shutter will disappear in the near future because it will be replaced by a fully electronic shutter.

I still prefer Nikon precisely BECAUSE they still retain somewhat of a camera- oriented feel. My old A7 felt like a weird appliance that happened to take pictures. I think a certain internet pundit said it best:

"I love my Sonys, but I try not to get too peeved about their crummy menu systems since they are still the best mirrorless camera on the market until Nikon's Z7 starts shipping in a month. The Nikons will handle like Nikons, not like VCRs."

@milkod2001seriously take a look at their profile...No camera gear listed, only troll the Nikon forums and articles, and joined a few months ago when Nikon announced they were going mirrorless.It's sad Sony stoops so low.

Cameras freezing and generally going to market crapilly tested has been a thing for about 10 years now. I once had D3100 for review, I couldn't believe the amount of bugs it had. It has gotten ironed out somewhat since then but the cameras' electronics reliability (in some cases also mechanical reliability) has not been the same since the old CCD-era days.

I don't rememer which model it was but Nikon had to patch focus trap in some FF DSLR at some point because it simply didn't work.

Don't worry, Nikon never calls them that. They're just "service advisories". No big deal. Nothing crippling like spots on your sensor, cut off flare in your images, poor AF on one side, etc. Especially nothing requiring multiple "service advisories" for the same issue that had been failed to be corrected time and time again. Heaven forbid! Nikon would certainly take those seriously and release a formal recall on each and every piece to make things right. Right? ;)

EDIT: OK, I was wrong. Looks like Nikon only issues recalls when it's a life and death situation that could burn your house down:

It was to be expected... But I see these cameras as an investment in a system. Though not the best, they are still good cameras. I won't move from Sony to Nikon, but I find their mirrorless cameras to be quite interesting, and if I've been able to be a-happy with an A7II for years, I'd pretty sure be happy to have one of these :)

Nikon did what they had to do, release a crappy 1st generation product and leave room for a 2nd gen to “improve” and get these early fans to reopen their wallets up again. 😊 That’s brilliant if you ask me.

All that are interested...take a look at CanonSharpShooter's posting history lack of of gear listed in profile and when he joined.Also do the same with LessMirrored...Sony employees, so sad they have to stoop so low.

Causio, there are a lot of Nikon fans wanting to reuse their lenses with an adapter. It’s actually much smarter to do this than try to compete head on with Sony. Also in the mean time their dslr such as d850 is unchallenged and safe.

What they are trying to achieve? My guess would be to get current dslr owners who already have a d800, d610 who are happy with what they have a reason to spend money on Nikon again. Or any dslr owner who wants video, Video performance has greatly improved since going MILC. Nikon is in a situation where it needs to milk it’s fans to stay afloat. Forget the days of leading the industry it’s all about survival.

To me, it seems something went wrong. Maybe they've released an "unpolished" product in the hurry for photokina and Canon/Panasonic competition. Over all, it's half-assed, and there's Sony who's ruling supreme and gaining terrain in the FF MILC market. Waiting another year to become just competitive (not even leader, and do they even have a lens roadmap?) looks a bit too conservative, an underwhelming effort. But what do I know.

@thorgal: Sony with the A7 was in a way different situation than Nikon now. They didn't have competitors to compare with. Unlike now, there was plenty of room to justify not-so-great AF and lack of IBIS on a FF MILC (all the other cameras had smaller sensors, hence it was easier for them to get good results with these features). Fuji X-Pro and X-T1 were praised at the release date, the subpar AF and video features weren't seen as bad as now and they didn't spoil the interesting retro-take and film simulation that many people like(d).So, nope, you're plain wrong. And trolling by wrongly calling someone else a troll, well now THAT is a poor way of trolling.

When we shooting living cancer cells we use D810 and D850. The Sony crap delays all our work with wrong colors when we try them out. So silly Sony fanboys, go home :-) You can of course give me comments... Who cares, read Elliott Jaques and we get a better world...

@Randy - I refer to the fanboys who have mainly posted this topic. @snapa - if your understanding of the main point of this article is that AF-C does not work then it is not I that do not understand the article.

Hopefully, the Nikon engineers will release firmware that will improve the AF performance on the Z7. Until then, the Fujifilm X-T3 is the best autofocusing and tracking camera ever made...including DSLRs.

@CanonSharpShooterThat has got to be the dumbest comment in history.Nikon offered shutter block replacement for all D600 owners...in fact you can still send D600 bought used and get the shutter block replaced for free.

NexLupus, I know I'm correct. I've compared the X-T3 to the D850 and D500 (a friend of mine owns both the D500 and D850). The X-T3 is clearly the winner in AF acquisition, AF tracking, burst keeper rate, and face/eye tracking.

Fuji tells me for many years now about their awesome AF and indeed it went from abysmal to nearly usable to ok-ish. Yes, maybe the T3 reached a good or even great level finally. But maybe not, like so many times before.

I hope you guys test the Z6 separately at some point. It seems like the lower MP count is much easier on the image pipeline and some of these AF and video capture related issues could be a lot better. In some ways maybe we're being too harsh on the Z7 if it's really just a higher resolution model with slightly reduced throughput compared to the more well rounded and polished Z6?

@DPReview, are you sure you guys were holding down the AF_ON button (or otherwise engaging AF) when doing the tracking tests? The face and subject tracking only tracks and doesn't adjust focus unless you keep the AF engaged.

I know I'm in the minority for believing that the engineers at Nikon, Canon et al. know more about cameras than I do. Even worse, I don't believe critics who claim to be experts on imaging science but lack any formal degrees or tenure in the field.

But I know that it's a losing battle. We live in a culture that ostracizes actual experts and celebrates know-nothings whose opinions are built solely out of misunderstood science and narcissistic vanity.That's the way the cookie—or in this case society—crumbles.

All, CanonSharpShooter and LessMirrored are Sony employees...Note that they don't deny it when confronted with it...Take a look at when they joined, their posting history, and lack of gear listed on profile.

CanonSharpShooterI have zero faith in corporations and believe that all corporate executives above the level of vice president should be sentenced to hard labor working for the people whose lives they've ruined.At the same time, I have have seen in my lifetime that great tech sometimes escapes from the lab despite management's best efforts. Forty percent of the time? Look at the D850 and some of the 5Ds and the first Sony A99, and anything made by Pentax.... totally bitchin' cameras. Lenses too. To stay sane,II prefer not to think of all the amazing ideas that are still trapped in bureaucratic limbo....same with cars.

Well, it's no surprise but disappointing nonetheless, to read some of the belligerent and aggressive comments here. You'd be forgiven for thinking Nikon reps had just gone out and sh*£ged your daughters!Truth is that the Z7, in common with every camera in the history of cameras, isn't perfect. It'll suit some photographers better than others, as all cameras do.

It has to said that Nikon are partly to blame because of the relentless building of expectations pre-release. But still, huge over-reaction and a real unpleasantness in these comments. Some people should take a breath....

Nothing is perfect but they made this big pre-release fuss about Nikon reinventing mirrorless and they deliver crap. Nikon made people breathe faster in anticipation and now you expect them to just turn a switch and everything back to normal?

I said it before and I'll say it again, sony needs to release a A7RIII(a) which has a slightly larger body and a customizable dial on the top left like the A9, and eliminate all of the excuses old DSLR shooters have for sticking with Canikon. This is their chance to put the nail in the coffin, these cameras suck and loyalists are literally grasping at reasons to stick around.

That would be nice. The current A7riii is just too small. It's not even the grip; it's the total vertical height of the body, like it'd made for kid hands. I don't think the Z7 is any better in that regard; it just has a slightly larger grip.

Put the grip on the A7R3 and it becomes a fairly large camera with a substantial hand-grip. The placement of the joystick is perfect as is the shutter release button. The only main button that needs work is the back button focus button - there's no perfect mappable "button" for it. The AEL button works best and it's slightly uncomfortable. But, it's nowhere near as bad as the back button focus button on the EOS R - which is plain terrible. Overall, with the Grip - the A7R3 is fine for someone with large hands.

This week Chris and Jordan review the Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 S for Z-mount, a lens many photographers consider to be the foundation of the 'holy trinity' of zoom lenses. Does it measure up to the high expectations set by Nikon? Tune in to find out.

Nikon has made available a firmware update that brings significant improvements to autofocus. But it's continuous Eye AF that's the big headline. Science Editor Rishi Sanyal has given it a go, and finds its performance to be remarkably good... but with some snags.

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Whether you're new to the Micro Four Thirds system or a seasoned veteran, there are plenty of lenses available for you. We've used pretty much all of them, and in this guide we're giving your our recommendations for the best MFT lenses for various situations.

Blackmagic has announced an update to Blackmagic RAW that adds support, via plugins, to Adobe Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer. Blackmagic also announced a pair of Video Assist 12G monitor-recorders with brighter HDR displays, USB-C recording and more.

Sony has announced the impending arrival of its next-generation video camera system, the FX9. The full-frame E-mount system is set to be released later this year with a 16-35mm E-mount lens to follow in spring 2020.

The Canon G5 X Mark II earns a Silver Award with its very good image quality, flexibility and the overall engaging experience of using the camera. However, if you need the very best in autofocus and video, other options may suit you better. Find out all the details in our full G5 X II review.

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Robert Frank's unconventional approach to photography and filmmaking defied generational constraints and inspired some of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He passed away today at age 94.

All three devices offer a standard 12MP camera plus, for the first time on an iPhone, an ultra-wide 13mm camera module. The 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max also retain the telephoto camera of previous generations.

Phase One's new XT camera system incorporates the company's IQ4 series of digital backs with up to 151MP of resolution and marries them to a line of Rodenstock lenses using the new XT camera body. The result is an impressively small package for one of the largest image sensors currently on the market - take a closer look here.

Phase One has announced its new XT camera system, which includes an IQ4 digital back, body (made up of a shutter release button and two dials) and a trio of Rodenstock lenses. The company is marketing the XT as a 'travel-friendly' product for landscape photographers.